


A Night at the Witch's Cottage

by AgentOfShip



Series: Promptober [11]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Inappropriate Cat, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Talking Animals, dark stormy night, mysterious curse, set in Scotland, witch jemma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-01-04 12:15:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21197504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentOfShip/pseuds/AgentOfShip
Summary: It's a dark and stormy night. On a deserted country road, Leo Fitz's old car breaks down, leaving him alone and without cellphone reception on the side of the road. In a nearby village, this is the perfect night for Jemma to practice her witchcraft in peace. They might have never met if fate, in the form of a very insistent crow, hadn't decided otherwise.A Witch!Jemma AU set in beautiful Scotland, written for day 27 of Promptober.Beta'd by the wonderful @LibbyWeasley





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this one since before Promptober was announced and I am super excited to finally post it :) Six chapters planned, next one will be posted on the 31st and, after that, I guess it'll depend on how inspired I am :D  
Hope you enjoy :)

"Great bloody idea," Fitz mumbled as he hunched over the wheel to try and see something through the condensation on the window and the absolute deluge outside. 

That stupid storm was the reason his plane had landed so late and now it would most likely make him lose his reservation and force him to sleep in the bloody car. He shouldn't have even tried to make a reservation and taken a room at the airport hotel instead. Actually, he shouldn't have had his first stupid idea to begin with. 

It was probably the last time in a long time he would be able to see his mother, the first few years of being a freelancer not usually leaving much time for vacations. He could have just booked a plane to Glasgow, stayed at his mom's for a whole month, fixed everything in the house, ate too much and picked up a stronger accent before going back to New York. But no, he had to make it a bloody road trip. At the time, having his ancient car delivered to Inverness and spending a few days visiting the places he hadn't seen in fifteen years had seemed like a nice idea. Now, thinking he could be by the fireplace having hot cocoa in his mum's ugly but comfy chair instead, not so much. 

It was so dark and the rain so thick he could barely see the signs until he was about to pass them. Or when the lightning struck, which made his whole situation even less reassuring. He hadn't seen another car for at least half an hour and even the village he'd just passed seemed deserted except for maybe a house or two. His mum would probably have a heart attack if she knew the situation he was in. The only thing missing would be if his car...

It was like thinking about it had made it happen. Fitz couldn't possibly think of another explanation. The engine made a very loud noise followed by a very worrying smell of burning... something before the noise started to die altogether and Fitz, at least, was quick enough to pull to the side of the road before the car came to a complete stop. 

"No! No no no no no no no no no! You can't do that to me, you stupid machine!"

The engine made one last ominous noise then everything fell silent, leaving only the sound of the raging storm outside.

So apparently, it could.

Fitz let his head fall on the wheel, his eyes closing for a few seconds. Maybe if he believed it hard enough, he'd wake up in his old childhood bed in Glasgow, this whole thing having just been a nightmare. But when the rain kept falling, the wind kept howling and cold slowly started to settle in the car, Fitz had to admit defeat and accept that he would most likely have to go out in this weather. He knew the gas tank was almost full and it didn't sound like it was the battery so he grabbed the coat he had the forethought of leaving in the backseat, along with his fluorescent vest, and popped open the hood. He took his flashlight from the glove box and, taking a deep breath, he opened the door and got out of the car. It didn't take long to know what was wrong, what with the fumes and everything. The carburetor was clearly dead and there was no fixing it, especially in this weather. It needed to be replaced. His only option was to get to the closest garage and hope they could get their hands on a part that fit his ancient car. 

In the meantime, Fitz was stuck on the side of the road in the middle of a storm. Taking his phone out of his pocket, he got confirmation that there was no reception here and his chances of a car passing by to help him were really slim. So he could wait here until the rain stopped, which wasn't anytime soon if the weather forecast was right, or decide to walk back to the village he'd just passed. It couldn't be more than two miles away and at least there'd be cell reception there or a landline he could use. Fitz didn't think he looked too menacing. Maybe someone would even let him come in and warm up while he called his insurance company. There might even be a hotel. 

His decision made, Fitz grabbed his wallet and phone charger, put them in his waterproof pocket and locked the car before he started walking towards the faint lights coming from the village. Fitz had walked maybe half a mile when there was a strange howling sound coming from the forest. It was most likely the wind playing in the trees. It had to be. There were no wolves in Scotland, nothing bigger than foxes or wild boars, and even if there were, they wouldn't be so stupid as to roam the forest when there was a storm out, would they? No, that was a very stupid, human thing to do.

Still, it sent shivers down Fitz's spine and he picked up the pace. But with his eyes trained on the forest instead of in front of him, he didn't see the old tree stump in his way. He tripped and tried to catch himself, but with the muddy ground and the lack of visibility, he lost his balance and fell forward. There was a blinding pain as his head hit another tree stump and then everything went black.

-0-0-0

The night was glorious. After such a long and hot summer and warm September, autumn had finally seemed to settle in Glencoe and Jemma was relishing it. This was exactly the kind of cold, stormy weather she had been dreaming of when she had moved from London to the small remote Scottish village three years ago. This had been how she felt the most focused to work on her special skills since she was a child. Her grandmother had always said that it was because the storm outside appeased the whirlwind of thoughts always turning around in Jemma's brain, helping her busy mind focus on the natural elements rather than the hundreds of thoughts always in there. And if there was possibly a more scientific way to explain it, Jemma had also accepted that, sometimes, a rather poetic explanation was the best thing she could get when it came to these things. 

Taking a deep breath, Jemma tried to empty her mind. She focused on the fire crackling in the hearth, the wind howling through the trees and raindrops hitting the window she was sitting by. She placed her hands on the desk, by her grandmother's old elements book and took a deep breath. Not that she needed the book or what was in it to practice but the smell and feel of it reminded her of the long hours spent in her grandmother's cottage, learning about her abilities, and helped her concentration. She slowly moved her focus towards the window and the latch turned with a loud whine. That part was easy. Then the window slowly opened. A light gust of cold air filled with the scent of wet grass and the jasmine growing under her window rushed in towards her and Jemma smiled. Slowly, she directed it towards the candle on her desk. The light flickered and died and Jemma directed it to the candles on the coffee table. The flames were smothered one by one until there was only the light from the fire left. Jemma focused her mind back on the window and was about to close it when she heard wings flapping loudly and a big crow landed on the windowsill. 

Jemma sighed and flopped back into her chair. 

"What is it?" she asked and the crow shook himself like a dog, sending water droplets everywhere, before cawing loudly.

"In this weather? What an idiot…"

Jemma sighed and moved her chair back before standing up. "The night had started out so well. Do you know how often I get a whole night to myself knowing I won't have to wake up insanely early in the morning?"

"Caw. Caw caw." 

Jemma gasped.

"What? No! You wouldn't dare!"

The bird gave the closest thing to a shrug a crow could give and Jemma rolled her eyes as she grabbed her phone and car keys from the coffee table, giving the book and her nice big, fluffy couch a wistful look.

"Fine, I'll go get him."

"Caw. Caw caw. Caw caw caw."

"That's alright. I told you I'm going, no need to insist. And no offense, but you're not the most reliable source when it comes to judging a human's attractiveness. Big eyes and shiny teeth are not my main criteria, Edgar."

-0-0-0-

Fitz felt nice. It was like he was floating on a cloud. Somewhere in the back of his mind, something told him it wasn't possible but he still felt that way. There was a voice too, soft and melodious, but it was like the woman it belonged to was very far away or talking to him through a very thick glass. He could still hear the storm around him, the rain falling and the wind howling, but he felt inexplicably warm. He was moving in a way he couldn't fully understand, a bit like when he fell asleep on the couch as a young boy and his mum carried him to bed, his drowsiness providing plenty of wonderful, magical scenarios to his young imagination. But Fitz was pretty sure that he was now too big for his mum to carry him like that and anyway, last he remembered he'd been on the side of the road, trying to make it to the nearest village. Then it all got a little confused. 

He suddenly felt something more solid under his back, the pretty voice said something to him and he started feeling sleepy again. 

-0-0-0-

Fitz could see daylight through his eyelids before they were even open. His head was hurting a bit and he still felt a little sleepy but he was delightfully warm. It still felt like he was floating on a cloud but it was more metaphorical as he could clearly feel the fluffy pillow under his head, firm mattress under his back and the lovely flowery scent surrounding him that he was almost a hundred percent positive couldn't be the magic tree from his car. Clearly he wasn't in the hospital, it all felt and smelt too nice and comfy for that, and the light filtering through his eyelids was too warm and soft. 

And it was also rather silent except for that same voice again. He still couldn't hear what she was saying but it was because she seemed to be whispering rather than the strange eerie feeling from what he supposed was just the previous night. As he slowly started to wake up, Fitz noticed other noises. Some sort of light squeaking and something… cawing?

Fitz cracked an eye open and took in his surroundings. He was in a large bedroom, in the middle of a large bed. The walls were a soothing light blue and one wall was covered in all kinds of flowers and animal paintings, which he had to admit were rather nice despite it not being how he would choose to decorate a room. There was also a dark wooden floor and a rug in the middle of the room. So definitely not a hospital.

On the other side of the room, by the multicolored tinted glass window, there was a tiny wooden desk, a matching chair and a woman sitting on it with her back to him. From what he could see, she had a dark red blouse and brown wavy hair reaching the middle of her back. There was also a crow on the windowsill and a tiny thing on the desk Fitz was almost positive was a mouse. Maybe he hit his head even harder than he thought and was in fact in a coma imagining all this because it looked like the three of them were having a conversation. 

"Are you-are you talking to those animals?" Fitz asked, voice still rough from sleep and thirst, not stopping to wonder if maybe it would have been safer to pretend to be asleep a little longer to decide if this stranger's house was really safe.

She startled and turned around to look at him.

"What?" she asked, her tone surprised as her face remained blurry from being basked in so much light.

"The crow and mouse."

"You mean this mouse?" she asked, nodding towards the desk.

Fitz looked towards the desk where there was only a notebook, a few pens, a glass and what looked to be a small and very inanimate figurine of a mouse. Hum. 

"Oh. Well, the crow then." 

"Well, yeah, have you never talked to a pet or even a house plant?"

"I guess I did, it's just… it sounded like they were answering you." 

She laughed a lovely watery laugh as she stood up and came to sit on the side of the bed. 

"Well, crows are really smart so who knows?" she said, tilting her head to the side with a mischievous smile. 

Fitz felt his cheeks heat up, because he supposed it was a little ridiculous to think she might have been talking with crows and mice, but mostly because she was breathtakingly beautiful. Her doe eyes seemed almost golden in this light and the smile adorning her perfect full lips was absolutely enchanting. After such a long, complicated evening and confusing night, he was certainly not prepared to have a beautiful woman so close to him while he was in bed, especially since it was hers. 

"Let me check your head?" she asked, voice gentle and Fitz nodded, temporarily incapable of speaking apparently.

Shifting closer, she gently cupped his jaw, using a pencil to test his pupils and turning his head this way and that and running a delicate thumb over the spot on his forehead that seemed to be the source of his headache. Her hands were cold but it was actually rather nice and felt much needed in his still sleepy and very confused state. 

"So hum," he started before clearing his throat and starting again, hoping he didn't sound as much like the crow he'd heard a moment ago. "It felt like someone was carrying me last night. Was it… was it you?" 

She laughed again.

"Have you seen me?"

"Well, you're not big but you could still be strong, right?" 

She smiled again before reaching for his hand to take his pulse.

"Lovely sentiment, but no. I actually rolled you over on a makeshift stretcher and put you in my car the best I could. But I'm glad it didn't feel too much like I was handling a sack of potatoes." 

Fitz let out a little nervous laugh. He felt a little guilty too. He wasn't really big but it still couldn't have been easy for her to carry him, even on a stretcher.

"Ah no, that was actually quite nice. I guess the head injury must have helped. So why didn't you bring me to a hospital? I mean I'm really grateful for what you did, I am and it's all a little blurry but you did find me on the side of the road, right?"

"Yes, a bit outside the village, actually but hum… have you seen where you are?" she said, nodding towards the window.

Fitz looked around but the room didn't give him any more information about his surroundings. He couldn't even see much through the tinted glass, except that he was most likely on the second floor.

"Not really. Given the accent I'd say England but it would be weird for you to have driven me so far from where you found me, right?"

She scrunched up her nose as she tilted her head to the side, looking at him like he was some curious creature and Fitz felt his cheeks grow a bit hot. If this whole situation felt a little unreal for him, he could only imagine it wasn't exactly common for her either.

"I'm not originally from around here but we're in Glencoe, population 45 and the nearest hospital is more than an hour away. You're lucky I found you."

"I am? I mean, obviously I am because I'm here and not passed out in the mud. What I meant was—"

"That's alright. I know what you mean," she cut him off with an amused laugh. "A strange woman bringing you back to her house in a remote village, sounds very Stephen King, doesn't it?" 

Fitz laughed a little nervously, not knowing if he should be reassured, embarrassed or worried because he hadn't even thought of that. But he wasn't a famous writer and it was rather unlikely that she'd try to kidnap him to force him to redo one of his designs.

"But I'm actually a doctor and pharmacist. Veterinary when needed."

"Oh. Wow. Well, thank you," he said tentatively and she laughed again before a slightly uncomfortable silence settled in the room.

"I'm Fitz by the way," he said, feeling like, given the circumstances, he really should have introduced himself sooner. 

"Jemma." 

"But really, thank you," Fitz insisted, tentatively reaching for her hand and squeezing it lightly. "The last thing I remember was tripping and falling face first in the mud. It was really cold, I might have died out there if you hadn't found me." 

She looked down and he could swear she was blushing as she shook her head like it was nothing. 

"Don't worry about it, anyone would have done it."

It was strange that she didn't want to hear more praise after she'd done something so selfless and heroic. Really it was making him a little dizzy and nauseous just thinking about how he would have ended up if she hadn’t found him. But that seemed to put her ill at ease and the last thing he wanted was to upset the woman who was pretty much his guardian angel. So Fitz didn't insist when she changed the subject to fill him in on his situation. He'd find another way to show her his gratitude. 

He learned that one of her friends from the village, Mack, who happened to be a mechanic, had been nice enough to tow his car to his garage early this morning. But it was Saturday and he had plans for the weekend, which meant he wouldn't be able to look at it before Monday morning. Fitz was supposed to visit the country a bit and do touristy things anyway and the Glencoe area was supposed to be gorgeous. Especially in autumn. So he decided that he could cancel his reservations and stay in the village for a few days. Jemma insisted he stay at her place, which he found a little weird at first but given the size of the village, it wasn't too hard to believe that there was no hotel. The only place he could stay within reasonable distance of the village was a super fancy castle turned into a hotel with ridiculously overpriced rooms.

"Are you sure? I mean it's my fault I decided to use this ancient car and I don't want to impose. You probably have better things to do…"

"No that's alright, really. And it's not looking too bad but I'd feel better if you stayed here so I can keep your head injury under surveillance for a few days. "

Fitz nodded. For some reason, he trusted this stranger. Of course, her physique really wasn't threatening and she did probably save his life but there was something else as well. Something much less tangible and scientific that made him feel relaxed in her presence and at home despite having only seen a single room in the house. 

"I took the liberty of taking your phone from your pocket and plugging it to charge if you need to call someone. And you can of course use the landline if you want. Cell reception kind of comes and goes here." 

"Oh, thank you. That's-that's… very nice of you."

She smiled. Fitz still had the strange sensation that she was studying a strange little creature when she looked at him. It was a little unsettling because he never thought himself to be especially mysterious but somehow, it wasn't necessarily a disagreeable sensation. To be fair, there was some sort of mysterious aura about her too and he would be fine having her studying him, surveilling his injury or whatever, for a few days if he got to know more about her too. And to begin with, he had one very obvious and slightly embarrassing question.

"Hu Jemma? I'm sure there was a good reason to do it but just, you know, to be sure… Who took my clothes off?"

Now that he was fully awake and his head clearer about everything that had happened, he couldn't help focusing on the fact that he was naked under the covers save for his boxers. 

"Mice and little birdies, of course."

She grinned, looking very happy with herself and Fitz rolled his eyes as he tried to stop his lips from smiling back.

"You were half frozen Fitz. I had to take them off to warm you up. But I swear I didn't look."

"Really?"

"No!" she said, rolling her eyes at him before letting out a small laugh. "That would have been very counterproductive. I'm a doctor, I've seen plenty of naked people. There's nothing to be embarrassed about, really."

Fitz could swear there was a small smile at the corner of her lips but he chose to ignore it. 

After bringing him a big robe and turning around to let him get out of bed while holding on to a bit of his dignity, she showed him around a bit before leaving him alone. She said she had things to pick in the garden for breakfast and looked amused when Fitz had perked up at the mention of a nice homemade meal. He'd skipped dinner the previous night and he was absolutely famished. Along with a nice hot shower and after slipping into his already dry and clean clothes, Fitz was confident a good meal would help him feel like himself again.


	2. Chapter 2

Jemma tightened her cardigan around her torso as she walked out of the house. The rain had stopped pouring sometime early in the morning but there were still dark clouds low in the sky and humidity in the air, and it would probably start again before the day was over. 

She went down the few stairs and turned left towards the chicken coop to see if the girls had laid a few eggs for so that she could cook an omelette. They found it gross that humans ate their unfertilized eggs but they had a nice big garden, a shelter that was always warm and dry and they knew they'd live a long happy life never having to fear for wandering predators. No fox in his right mind would dare trying to enter the witch's garden uninvited so, all in all, it was a pretty nice deal for them. Jemma gathered five big eggs, gave each girl a little head scratch, and walked to the vegetable patch to get a lettuce and a pumpkin for tonight's soup. 

As Jemma moved to the chestnut tree to see if any chestnuts had fallen off already, a black shadow moved in the corner of her field of vision and the next second it was rubbing against her leg, letting out a slightly raspy "meow". 

"Good morning Kira," Jemma said, smiling, as she scratched the tiny cat's head who rubbed her little face even harder against Jemma's hand.

She flexed her front paws and her back before lying on her side in the grass and rolling around to flex her body even more. Jemma was sometimes jealous of the cat's natural flexibility.

"I like him," she said, lazily looking up at Jemma. "You should keep him."

Jemma rolled her eyes as she sank down on her knees to look for chestnuts in the high grass.

"He's only been awake for a few hours. How can you know you like him?"

"Smells nice. It's all over the house now."

"Again, not taking dating advice from a cat. There's more to a man than how he smells."

Although he did smell much nicer than he should have considering he'd been drenched in rain and unconscious in the mud for some time when she found him but that wasn't the point. She could point out that Edgar was right about his eyes being nice, although it was more their ocean blue color rather than their size that Jemma liked but she knew that would go over Kira's head anyway. 

"He likes you too, keeps blinking when he looks at you."

"Again, not a cat," Jemma replied, rolling her eyes.

"Still… he's smart for a human male. He trusts his senses. He knew it was you who carried him and he heard Edgar and Gus talk to you."

"I guess you have a point," Jemma conceded.

It had indeed taken her by surprise. Most non-witches' minds tended to twist the things that didn't fit their "normal" to make them fit. And thus could have magic happening right under their noses without realizing it. Unless it was his mind being too sleepy to come up with plausible explanations, Fitz seemed a little different. Still, him being cute and different didn't automatically make him boyfriend material. 

"How do you even know that? You weren't even in the room," Jemma asked, hoping to change the subject. 

"Watching from the tree until it got boring. He'd make a good cat though, you know. Turn him for me if you don't want him?" 

"You know I can't do that."

Kira glared at her and walked away only to roll around five feet away, and Jemma smiled as she stood up. 

"Your heat's hitting you hard this time, huh?"

Kira let out a pathetic little meow.

"There's plenty of perfectly good cats in the neighborhood, you know."

"I know, this one's just new. And you could use a good romp too. I can smell it."

God, cats were so inappropriate. Sometimes, she wished she never taught her to speak human or didn't understand cat language herself. Jemma had found Kira when she first moved here. She was a tiny kitten then and it was nice to have company back when Jemma didn't know anyone in the village. And a black cat seemed quite fitting for a witch too. But as Kira became an adult, although she didn't grow to be much bigger, it was clear that Jemma hadn't adopted a baby. It was more like having a roommate, one who had quite a "social" life and no sense of personal space, boundaries, or propriety. But she never brought her "dates" home and was adorably cuddly when it started getting cold outside so Jemma had decided that she was still a much better roommate than the one she'd had in university.

"Well he might smell nice and have really pretty eyes, but witches and non-witches don't mix. The former owner of this house could tell you as much." 

"Yes, she can!" 

Jemma turned to find Annis, the witch who had lived there almost four-hundred years ago, sitting on the windowsill. She had been condemned for witchcraft and strangled and burned at the stake for saving the life of a villager and having been a little too "friendly" with him afterwards. The worst part being that it was said villager who had accused her of being a witch after witnessing Annis using the same talents that had saved his life. The land had been in her family for centuries and even though there was no clear record, Annis was most likely Jemma's ancestor. The original house had also been burned long ago but whoever rebuilt had decided to officially name it "the witch's cottage," which really said a lot about both Scottish people and Jemma's family. 

"That was four-hundred years ago," Kira replied. "No one's going to burn you for being too promiscuous with a nice smelling traveller." 

"Well, it still didn't work very well for me either. Remember Milton?"

Milton used to live an hour away from Glencoe and Jemma had dated him for a few months a few years ago and it has been nice at first. But when things became serious, Milton just wouldn't understand why Jemma preferred to stay here rather than go and live in a bigger city. And since she couldn't tell him it was, in part, because her abilities worked better closer to nature and the remoteness made it easier to practice without being discovered, they ended up having a big fight. He had argued that if she really loved him, she'd leave this place for him and Jemma had realized she actually loved the place more than him and that had been it for their relationship.

"Could have told you from the beginning, he smelled like cabbage,"Kira said and Jemma rolled her eyes.

"He didn't!"

"He kind of did," Annis provided.

"You couldn't smell him, you're a ghost!"

"Well he looked like it anyway."

"Ugh!" Jemma cried out as she started walking back towards the door. "I'm starting to think this house is too crowded for my taste."

"There's still room for a nice smelling human apparently…" 

"He's just staying two days and then he'll be on his way."

"Why is he even staying that long if you don't want to mate with him?" Kira insisted as she jumped up the stairs and sat between Jemma and the door.

"He has to wait for his car to get fixed."

Sometimes it was also like she was living with her mum or maybe an annoying older sibling.

"You could fix that in ten seconds," Kira said, squinting her eyes at Jemma suspiciously.

"Fine," Jemma sighed in defeat. "I might have been a little... unreasonable. I have to make sure."

When Jemma had made it to the side of the road following Edgar's instruction, she had found Fitz in a worse state than she had expected. His injury was worrying since it knocked him out but what had Jemma panicking was how cold he had been. He was in severe hypothermia already and his heart was so weak she could barely feel his pulse. Jemma knew she had to act quickly and didn't even think twice before using magic on him. Which was the problem. She didn't control the flow of her energy as much as she should have and even though it only left her a little tired, it could have a number of ill effects on Fitz. She should have used her other, ordinary, medical skills first but it seemed risky and when she'd turned him around, there was a smile on his face even though he was unconscious. She knew it was only witches’ folklore but her grandma always said that if someone smiled at you in their sleep, it meant true love. Which was ridiculous since she didn't even know him and it was just a ridiculous unproven superstition. But then again, before she turned eleven, Jemma didn't think witchcraft existed so... And really what was the point of being who she was if she could only help people who didn't need her special skills? And he looked fine too. Nothing weird about him, no visible ill effect and his head seemed fine. More than fine actually, she agreed with Kira that he was rather bright and perceptive. So he would probably be alright. She'd just keep him under surveillance until Monday and, in the meantime, it'd be nice to have someone new to spend with for a bit. Someone alive, human and well... male. 

Leaving Kira and Annis to discuss and criticize her supposed very risky behavior, Jemma walked back into the house to start working on breakfast. Wanting to make sure Fitz didn't have any kind of special diet or allergy -it would really be too bad to give him an allergic reaction after saving him from hypothermia- she went upstairs to ask and almost crashed into him as he was walking out of the bathroom. Jemma's eyes widened for a moment. He just had a towel around his hips and looked really quite… nice. She'd seen him wet and almost naked the previous night but he'd been so cold and pale, she honestly hadn't stopped to look at him that much. It felt very different now. He looked very healthy and alive with his flushed cheeks, bright eyes and shy smile. He had strong shoulders too, awfully nice hip bones and curly hair that made you want to bury your hands into. And, bloody hell, all clean from the shower, his natural scent was somehow even more noticeable and completely delicious.

Fitz cleared his throat and Jemma took a few steps backward. 

"I'm making breakfast, is there anything you can't eat?"

"Ah no, I'll eat anything," he replied with a bright smile and Jemma had to bite her lip not to smile at the dirty thought that was suggested in parts by her annoying little cat and in parts by her own reptilian brain.

"You have a really nice house. The bathroom is very… organized," Fitz added when Jemma didn't say anything.

"Oh thank you and you have a very nice…" Jemma started almost automatically before realizing she had no idea how to finish that sentence. Fitz's eyes widened and Jemma's eyes stopped on the first nice and not too inappropriate thing she could find about him. "… clavicle," she finished a little lamely, pointing at his, admittedly, rather nice and slightly prominent collar bone. 

He looked down and back up with a slightly confused smile.

"Hu... thank you?" 

"You're welcome. I mean it," Jemma replied and his smile turned into something more amused, making Jemma relax a little. 

There was a tiny, adorable meow before Kira walked between Jemma's legs and came to sit between them, meowing one more time towards Fitz. Jemma rolled her eyes.

"Oh, hello kitty," Fitz let out with a delighted smile as he crouched down to scratch her head. Kira headbutted him and started walking in circles around him, rubbing herself against his legs and purring loudly as he kept scratching her head lightly. Fitz seemed completely delighted about the cat's attention and his big happy smile was, in Jemma's opinion, much cuter than her devilish little cat at the moment. 

"Aren't you the cutest, prettiest little kitty I've ever seen?" Fitz cooed as Kira rolled over on the ground for him to scratch her belly.

Kira looked up at Jemma with a questioning look.

"Not happening," Jemma mouthed at her before rolling her eyes and going back to the kitchen to take care of breakfast, not _at all_ feeling jealous for having lost all of Fitz's attention to a bloody cat.

-0-0-0

"Oh wow, I haven't spent much time in the forest lately but I didn't remember squirrels doing that!" Fitz said, smiling as he pointed out at the small horde of adorable furry creatures gathering around Jemma as they made their way through the tall trees. 

"I guess they can sense I can help if they get sick," Jemma replied as she extended her leg and one of the little guys climbed all the way up like she was a tree herself. She opened her hand. "Or maybe they know I always carry nuts in my pockets," she added with a little grin as the little creature stored five nuts in his cheeks and jumped back into a tree, squeaking happily. 

Fitz smiled back her. Over breakfast, he'd learned that she indeed had degrees in chemistry and medicine as well as a specialization in veterinary medicine. She was impressive on all accounts and would have been intimidating if she wasn't also the nicest, most endearing person he had ever met. And it wasn't just about her being a Disney princess with the squirrels and all animals around her. Her enthusiasm as she talked about her job was so refreshing and inspiring. 

After talking for two hours about it as well as his latest engineering projects, she already had ideas about how to apply his tech to some of the things she worked on and Fitz was also very interested to learn more about the research she did on natural remedies. Which was why he'd offered to accompany her when she said she had to go pick the last of this season's berries and certain types of herbs in the forest. Fitz wouldn't be of much help as his knowledge about herbs, flowers and such was limited but he could... carry stuff at least, and learn things in the process. 

"I still think you have a thing with animals," Fitz said and she nudged his shoulder playfully.

"A _thing_ with animals? How very scientific of you." 

"Hey! I hurt my head, things might still be a little jumbled in here. Don't be mean." 

"Your head looks perfectly fine to me," she replied, her lips pulling up at the corners. "And looks like you have a thing too." 

Fitz frowned before looking down and realizing one of the little guys was currently climbing his leg. He was so light and agile Fitz hadn't even felt it. He grinned as the little guy settled on his shoulder. Jemma put a few nuts in Fitz's hand and the squirrel climbed down his arm, stuffed as much as he could in his cheeks and let out a squeaky noise before going down. Fitz chuckled. It almost sounded like he was saying thank you. 

"I could get used to that. Squirrels in Central Park are not so friendly. Or polite." 

"Feels nice going back to your roots?"

"Well, I grew up in Glasgow so a place like this feels quite different from what I'd call my roots but it is… nice. Peaceful. I mean, considering this whole mess with my car and my injury, I still feel more relaxed here than I had in months." 

Something told him that Jemma was partly responsible for that too. There was something about her that made him feel like he could stay here forever, but he didn't want to say that. That would sound weird or like some lame pick up line and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable when she'd welcomed him in her house so generously. Jemma smiled as she started walking again and Fitz was happy to just follow her. To walk in the forest and look around at how pretty nature was in autumn without worrying about remembering which way they'd come from. She seemed to know her way around perfectly. She'd stopped a few times to gather a few herbs looking like she knew exactly where they were without searching. 

"So where are your roots?" Fitz asked after a while, wondering how someone ended up in such a small Scottish village without growing up here.

After sixteen years in Glasgow, it was chance that had led him to the United States, after his participation in a science contest had granted him the interest of MIT and he was offered a full scholarship there. And then, he was recruited before he even got his degree and had been working for SHIELD Tech until only a week ago. But he doubted it was the same kind of reasons that had brought someone as brilliant as Jemma, who could get any job she wanted, to a place like Glencoe. 

"They're actually here," Jemma said and Fitz frowned in confusion, making her laugh lightly.

"I mean, I didn't grow up here and like I said, I studied in Oxford. But one of the oldest branches of my family originated from here and the land had been in my family for a few centuries at least, long before this cottage was built." 

"When there was a witch living here?" Fitz asked with a little laugh.

"What?!"

"The sign in front of the house. Witch's cottage. I figured…" Fitz trailed off, wondering if he'd said something wrong somehow but her face relaxed immediately as she let chuckled lightly.

"Ah yes. One of my ancestors was put on trial for witchcraft and her descendants were pretty stubborn Scottish people so…" 

Fitz laughed. Not about the witch's trial, that was obviously horrible and not the proudest moment of Scottish history, but about her family's reaction. That sounded like something his mother would do so he completely understood and kind of liked it too. Jemma looked amused too so, hopefully, she understood why what she had said amused him.

"I was offered a few jobs in London when I graduated. I took one at a fancy private clinic for a few months but I didn’t really like it. I had just started looking for something else when my grandmother died. We were very close so I thought I'd stay here for a few months, take care of the house, settle all the administrative stuff and mourn. But it turned out this town badly needed a doctor and it was the perfect place to be for my experiments and like you said, it's really—"

"Peaceful."

"Yeah." 

They kept walking for a while. Jemma seemed a little lost in thought for a moment and Fitz didn't want to intrude. And he supposed it was a nice place to, well to think. It was easy to lose track of time surrounded by nature, the singing of birds and the wind, still pretty strong, in the trees. He'd left his phone at Jemma's home since there was no reception anyway and it could easily be noon or the middle of the afternoon with the way the sun was hidden behind the trees. 

"Oh lovely!" Jemma said, stopping and taking a few steps outside of the narrow path before crouching down in front of a big oak where there was a patch of little yellow flowers. She took her miniature shovel out of her bag and started digging before taking them out of the ground, explaining to him that the tormentil roots (as Fitz learned those flowers were called) had several medicinal properties. 

"Oh would you mind getting me a few of those red flowers over there?" she asked him, pointing at a little patch just a few meters away as she carefully arranged the yellow ones in a little box. 

"Sure." Fitz replied, happy to finally be of any kind of help. "What do these ones do?" 

"They're very pretty? My favorites really..." Jemma replied with a slightly sheepish smile and Fitz grinned. 

Ah, of course. Pretty flowers for the pretty lady, he should have thought of that himself. Grabbing a pair of scissors from Jemma's bag, he crouched down in front of the flowers and took a moment to try and find the nicest ones. She'd obviously given him the easy job but Fitz was nothing if not a perfectionist and he was going to do this job as well as possible. He first cut five of them that were obviously the prettiest, then selected another five that were smaller but would hopefully finish opening and last longer. Mixed with the red flowers were also daisies and Fitz decided to pluck a few of these too, the contrast creating a rather lovely sight. 

There was some noise above him and Fitz looked up, trying to find where it came from, if it was a bird or squirrel or whatever else lived in these woods. In the corner of his field of vision, he could see that Jemma was done and walking towards him now and he turned around to look at her, brandishing his little bouquet proudly. 

The wind picked up just then and Fitz thought he should have maybe worn another layer of clothes when Jemma's expression suddenly changed.

"Fitz, careful!" she cried out and before he had the time to do or say anything, she was in front of him, tackling him to the ground and falling on top of him. 

"What the—" Fitz started before seeing the huge branch on the ground just where he'd been kneeling a second ago. His eyes widened as he looked up at her, mirroring her expression. They remained frozen for a moment. Fitz was at the same time shocked by what had just happened and mesmerized to see that all the colors of the forest seemed to be contained in her eyes. Until they remembered the position they were in. And, even if the soft forest ground was actually pretty comfortable and Jemma nicely warm on top of him, they definitely couldn't stay that way too long without it getting awkward. She quickly scrambled to her feet and offered her hand to help him up.

Fitz turned around to look at the branch that could have definitely killed him if it fell on his head then back at Jemma and again at the branch a few more times as he focused his nervous energy on trying to smooth down his clothes that had gone all wonky when he fell backwards. Finally, the enormity of what just happened hit him and instinct took over as he pulled Jemma into a bear hug. She'd saved his life one more time in less than twenty four hours. 

"You have to be some sort of guardian angel" he said, laughing in disbelief before pulling back and pressing a kiss to her forehead. 

When he pulled back from the hug though, she had a weird expression on her face and looked terribly pale.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that was too much, wasn't it?" Fitz asked, only now realizing that she hadn't returned the hug. They really weren't close enough for this kind of affection, and after she'd saved his life one more time, the last thing he wanted was to make her feel uncomfortable. "It's just that I can't believe—"

"No, that's alright," she cut him off with a weak smile. "You just-you just scared me, that's all." 

"Oh." Fitz fought the urge to hug her again and settled for a, hopefully, comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I should have been more careful after last night's storm." 

"No Fitz, it's not your fault, really and I'm glad you're alright. Let's just go home, okay?" 

"Yes, of course, let's go and then you can show me how I can make a nice cup of tea for you." 

She let out a little laugh and surprised him by looping her arm in his. Fitz felt bad for worrying her like that but at the same time, it made him feel all warm inside that she did, especially after saving him for a second time. She had to be the sweetest person he ever met and he really hoped he'd find a way to repay her somehow. 

"Oh wait!" he said, bending over to grab the little bouquet he'd managed to put together to give to her with a proud little smile. At least that was something. "Managed to save these too."

She smiled back, holding onto him a little tighter.

"Thank you. The daisies are a very nice touch." 

-0-0-0-

Jemma tried her best to remain calm and not to look too scared as they walked back home. Fitz's presence helped a little, he was warm and solid, and safe, as he held her arm. And it was nice the way he looked at her with a reassuring smile every once in a while. God, poor, sweet Fitz with his brilliant mind and adorable smile. If only he knew what she had done to him. 

She hadn't even known him for a day but something had endeared him to her immediately. It wasn't his smell like Kira insisted, but his almost too bright mind and thirst for knowledge that made him feel like a kindred spirit of sorts. There was also something very positive that emanated from him she couldn't explain with logic and probably had to do with her _witchy sense_, for lack of a better word. Ironically, it was that very same thing that must have stricken her when she had found him unconscious and had led her to do what was now threatening his life. 

Jemma would have liked nothing better than believe the branch falling was just a coincidence and the result of the storm having shaken things around in the forest. But there was no mistaking the mark she'd noticed on his upper back when his shirt had ridden up earlier, a little shiny and with the distinctive shape of a hand. She had marked and cursed him with her magic. She'd been too greedy with the forces of nature and now, these kinds of accidents would keep happening until--

No! She couldn't let that happen. She didn't save him so that he would be taken away from... the world. He was too young and bright and had too much to offer. 

The mark was something all witches learned about very early in their training, for obvious reasons. When you had just learned about being a witch and what you were able to do, it was tempting to use your powers to help and cure every living creature around. Obviously, it was dangerous as it used up a lot of the witch or wizard's energy but it could also be incredibly dangerous if they used a lot of their magic on one person alone. It transferred a little bit of the witch's magic to them and created the mark. It wasn't enough magic for the person to use it but it created a curse of sorts, a way for the universe to balance out the fact that person might have died without the witch's help. 

Jemma, like all witches, had heard plenty of stories about the mark that all ended tragically. But Jemma was nothing if not stubborn and until she had read every book on the subject and exhausted every online resource on the matter, she wouldn't admit defeat. 

In the meantime, for now, the world was too dangerous for Fitz. She had to keep him close and watch over him. Not that it would be a hardship, Fitz was lovely and to be honest, it was nice to have some _human_ company for once. But finding the solution would take time and she had to find a reason to make him stay.


	3. Chapter 3

"Yes, I see... No, I understand, I'm sure you've done your best. I'll tell him and call you back to tell you... Bye Mack, talk to you soon."

Jemma hung up the phone, a small smile on her lips. At least something was finally going her way. Since what had happened in the forest the previous day, Jemma had been racking her brain for a way to make Fitz stay longer without him getting suspicious about it. There were magical solutions of course, like simply making him sleep until she found a way to break the curse, but Jemma didn't like the idea of using magic on him. Not to trick him anyway. And he was brilliant and interesting, it would be a shame to have him in her home and not talk to him. And however cute he looked sleeping, she was pretty sure she would get bored at some point.

But Mack had actually solved her problem for her. Due to Fitz's car being so old, the part Mack had to replace was hard to find and would take at best a week to get here from Russia. Jemma had no doubt that given the proper tools and materials, Fitz could probably make it himself or find a way around it but, fortunately, that wasn't the case. 

"Hey, was that your mechanic friend?" 

Jemma startled as Fitz entered the room behind her. He could be awfully quiet when he wanted to. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I heard you say Mack and something about a car so I—"

"Yeah, that was him," Jemma cut him off, turning around to face him, affecting a contrite expression despite her instinct to smile at his lovely fresh, out of the shower look with his skin a little flushed, eyes bright and hair extra curly. 

"Doesn't look like a good news," he said with a light chuckle. 

"Ah no, you were right about what part is the problem and how old you car is."

"Oh."

"Mack says he can order it but it'll take a week to get here."

"Ah well... guess it could have been worse," he said, worrying his lips distractingly before putting his hands on his hips as he started pacing. It was a mystery that someone with such nervous energy was such a gentle sleeper. She'd pretended to have to sleep in his room the previous night to watch over him because of his head injury. That excuse wouldn't be believable another night but, at least, that was one night she didn't have to worry about him falling off his bed and breaking his skull.

Jemma took his arm and gently pulled him to sit on the couch, discreetly casting a comfort spell on it. Along with the cold, rainy weather, having him feel extra comfortable on the couch would certainly help convince him that there was no place better than her house. 

"Come on, I'm sure we can find a solution, Fitz," she said, giving his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I know you wanted a roadtrip to Glasgow to see the country but there's quite a lot to see around here, you know," she added, hoping he would come up with the idea mostly on his own. A little smile appeared on his face as he looked up at her and Jemma felt a little... something in her chest.

"Ah, I suppose you're right. I could rent a room at that hotel you mentioned, I have a little money on the side, I didn't exactly plan to use it on—"

"You can stay here!" she cut him off, wincing at how eager she sounded but Fitz didn't seem to notice as he shook his head. 

"No, two nights is enough, I can't impose on you any longer. I'm sure you're very busy."

His tone was getting a little hesitant and he'd sunk a little deeper into the couch. Jemma smiled. Hopefully, it wouldn't take much longer to convince him. 

"Not that much, really." That was a big lie of course, especially if she counted all the extra time she'd have to spend researching an ancient curse. "And I've been thinking of renting one or two bedrooms on Airbnb anyway. It's such a big house for just one person and it gets lonely in such a small village. You could be my test customer, yeah?" 

Again, big lie. Renting her house on airbnb was a terrifying thought. She was perfectly fine on her own and didn't need anyone. But she would enjoy _his_ specific company though.

"Oh... then I guess... I can pay for the room. How much were you planning on—"

"You'll do no such thing! You'll just... when your company's a huge success, you'll invite me to your palace... or not, I mean whatever you want..."

What? So she was inviting herself to his place now? Hadn't she done enough? She was going to find a way to break the curse and then she'd be out of his life. Much safer that way. 

Fitz grinned as he leaned slightly closer. 

"Sure," he said. "The minute I get my palace, you'll be my first guest. But seriously, my mum's going to be pissed off, I was only supposed to be road tripping for a few days and be there by Wednesday. She probably already started cooking to fatten me up."

Jemma laughed. He was obviously still a little scared of his mum, which was kind of sweet. Jemma had no doubt that Fitz's mum had to be a fierce woman to raise a little genius boy all by herself but she was pretty sure she could handle it. 

"Just call her then," Jemma said, grabbing the phone from the side table to hand it to him, knowing Fitz's phone would have little to zero coverage here. "It wouldn't have been good for you to be on the road anyway. There's more rain and storms coming this week."

"Okay, I can do— Ow ow ow!" 

There was a little static discharge as Fitz took the phone from her and Jemma had to bite her lip not to smile at how exaggeratedly he was reacting. Like he'd been burned or actually electrocuted, although it was, admittedly, quite a big discharge of static electricity.

"See, storm's coming." 

Fitz grumbled as he looked through his phone to find his mum's number, then dialed it. It couldn't have taken more than a ring or two for her to answer and Jemma had to bite her lip not to smile again at how the tone of his voice changed the moment his mum was on the other end of the line. It was slightly higher and it soon turned kind of whiny as she was obviously not pleased by the news and he was trying his best, and not really succeeding, to explain that staying at Jemma's place was a good idea. 

"Give me the phone," Jemma mouthed at him and he frowned as he shook his head. 

"What? Why?" he mouthed back. 

"Trust me."

Fitz frowned again then widened his eyes before sighing at something his mum said. Finally, he seemed to make a decision and shrugged as he waited for an opening to say something. His mum did seem to have a rather impressive flow and quite a volume too. 

"Mum, just a sec, Jemma wants to talk to you," he said, not waiting for an answer to give her the phone, looking quite pleased to be rid of it.

"Hello... Yes, I'm Jemma, nice to meet you Aileen... You're right, it's an awfully long time without visiting his mother but the weather would be too bloody awful to drive for quite some time anyway... Yes, especially in that ridiculously old car, it's just not safe."

Fitz rolled his eyes all the way to the back of his head and Jemma grinned before affecting a more serious expression once more.

"Oh... oh yes, you should see him, he really is quite skinny… No doubt he's not getting proper food in the US." 

From what she'd learned about him already, he was indeed not getting any proper food there but she didn't think the country was responsible for that. And it didn't show on his actually very nice looking body but she was certainly not going to tell Fitz's mother how she'd been lusting over her son.

"Oh, I actually have my own garden, all organic, no pesticides. Oh yes, he's been helping already. You can tell he's had a proper education... Yes, really quite lovely actually."

Fitz's grumpy teenager expression turned into an adorably shy smile at her last remark and Jemma bumped his knee lightly. 

"Of course, I will. Don't hesitate to call anytime. Have a lovely day and I'm putting Leo through now," Jemma finally said before passing the phone to Fitz, mouthing a quiet "sorry" when she noticed his face freeze at the use of the name.

She didn't know why she was only now learning his first name but it was clear there was a good reason for him not liking it and she took note of not using it anymore.

Five minutes later, when Fitz hung up, his mom was actually insisting on him staying and he didn't seem too bothered by it either.

-0-0-0-

Jemma was… well it wasn't that he didn't know what to think of her, it was more that he had too many thoughts about her and didn't know what to do with them. Every hour spent with her, Fitz found of a new adjective to describe her. 

He'd been a little taken aback at first, what with waking up half naked in her bed and no memory of the past night but then she'd explained how she probably saved his life. And if that wasn't enough, that moment being really quite blurry for him, she'd saved him again. Which would have been enough to find her remarkable, but more time spent with her had only confirmed how incredibly brilliant and funny she was. Not to mention how very caring and generous. On Sunday night, she'd insisted on sleeping on the big couch in his bedroom to watch over him and make sure there weren’t any ill effects from his head injury. It had been the most self-conscious he'd been while sleeping, making sure to always remained on his side to avoid snoring, but it was really nice of her to sacrifice her own sleep to watch over him. 

But there was something he couldn't really pinpoint about that was rather… strange for lack of a better word. Like he was missing some key element that could explain everything. For instance, it didn't feel like her degree in veterinary medicine was enough to explain how animals were drawn to her. Not to mention how she managed to actually convince his mum that staying was his best option. Was she some sort of Derren Brown on top of everything else? Did that even work on the phone? Also, there'd been downpour after downpour since Monday. He had to run back from where he'd been drawing outside not to be drenched. But somehow, Jemma always managed to go out and be back just before it started raining again. 

But well, he was probably reading into all these things too much because he couldn't take his eyes, and thoughts, off her. She was just fascinating, enchanting even. She was beautiful yes, anyone who had eyes could see that, but there was more. He'd known her for four days now and he felt drawn to her, like they were two opposing charges. Which was really the most fitting expression since they kept getting discharges of static electricity every time they touched. He knew the weather was stormy and he was wearing a wooly cardigan but still, he didn't remember it happening so often with someone in so little time.

"Here you go," she said, startling him out of his thoughts as she entered the room. 

"Oh, thank you!" Fitz almost cried out, blushing as if he'd been caught red handed, like she could read his mind and see that he'd been thinking about her again. He extended his hand and took the small vial from her. 

Oh and there was that too, she made her own painkiller and it worked better than anything he ever tried. 

"So you're sure it's a simple headache?" she asked as she came to sit next to him on the sofa, much more gracefully than he was. 

"Yeah, yeah, it's just that I should wear my glasses when I spend so much time drawing."

"Finding inspiration in our beautiful village?" 

"Ah yes, I have all those sketches I did in the forest yesterday and it gave me ideas and I wanted to put it all on paper before they slipped my mind. Didn't mean to stay inside so long though, there's just something about your house," or you, Fitz added in his mind. "And I need one of those sofas!" 

Jemma smiled as she patted the soft plush cushion.

"It came with the house, I'm afraid you won't find it in a store..."

"Ah, that's just as well. Mum's going to fill my suitcases enough, I don't really need to bring a couch with me on the plane."

"Well, you'll just have to come back and visit me, I suppose," she said, her hand resting on his arm and Fitz felt his heart start to beat faster. Because there was that too. The small touches, the smiles, the lingering looks and of course, the not at all subtle hints that she wanted to see him again after this week. Fitz was usually terrible at noticing these things but he was pretty sure she was flirting with him. And he had no intention of resisting. Nodding as he smiled back at her, he leaned a little closer, noticing the flush on her cheeks and hearing her breathing accelerate... and then, they were startled by a loud meow. 

Pretty sure that was disappointment he could see on her face as Jemma turned around to glare at her cat, Fitz couldn't help smiling. He really wished they hadn't been interrupted when he was finally finding the courage to make a move but he had to admit Kira really was the cutest.

"Well you'll have to wait until I'm done in the lab or find something to eat on your own." 

Kira let out on unhappy meow and turned around.

"Oh, I'll take care of it," Fitz said as he had to make an inhuman effort to get up. "And I'll start working on dinner for us as well."

Kira turned back around to come and rub her face against his leg, looking up at him with what he could have sworn was a smile. Funny how well she seemed to understand what humans said. 

"I would have done it sooner but there's something about that couch... it's like it's magic or something."

"Well it is a witch's cottage," Jemma answered with a mischievous smile and Fitz rolled his eyes as he bumped her shoulder a little awkwardly. After the little moment they had, he was left with a sort of nervous energy and other… impulses he didn't know what to make of. 

"No but really, it's not like me to be lazy and wait for the last moment to—"

"That's alright, Fitz, I know," she cut him off.

Fitz raised his eyebrows. They'd known each other for four days. What could possibly make her feel so sure? 

"You do?"

"Yes." His brows furrowed in confusion and she took a step closer as her voice lowered to a register that didn't help those impulses. "I've already noticed your good manners and really, no one who can make such delicious soup can really be bad."

"Ah… yes," he replied, chuckling. "Message received." 

Every evening since Sunday, they'd cooked dinner together and Fitz had enjoyed the domesticity of it and the way it made him feel at home despite still not quite understanding where every room was. He especially loved the conversations they had as they worked together and the way it stretched out during dinner until he started getting sleepy and reluctantly went to bed. Jemma seemed to enjoy those as well but she had also especially enjoyed the soup he'd cooked the previous night that she finished at lunch. And with everything she had done and was still doing for him, cooking more soup seemed like the least he could do.

"Thank you," she said as she left the room, before turning back around. "Oh and give Kira her liver wet food if you can, that's the one she likes best." She bent over to pet Kira's head. "Don't you kitty?"

Kira hissed at her and Fitz chuckled.

"She gets grumpy when she's hungry," Jemma explained.

"I get that! We make quite the pair, uh Kira?" 

The small cat slowly walked towards Fitz and adorably meowing at him, she rubbed against his leg once more. Fitz crouched to give her head a scratch and pick her up to go to the kitchen. She started purring and Jemma rolled her eyes before disappearing behind the door to her lab, leaving Fitz a little confused. Shrugging, he made his way to the kitchen. Sometimes, he wished expressing one's feelings for another person was as easy as giving a headbutt and purring in their arms.

-0-0-0-

Jemma closed her book and flopped back into her chair. She knew it had only been three days since she started looking but she was getting desperate. She only had a week to either find the solution or find another excuse to make Fitz stay. Oh, she'd found several mentions of the mark already but nothing useful whatsoever. There were several long paragraphs about what it was, clearly directed at young, inexperienced witches and wizards. She'd also found lots of witches' journals explaining the circumstances in which it had happened to them and how the person marked had died of a freak accident before the year was over. And then, there were the occasional poetic few lines about the unnatural bond created between the witch and the marked one and how severing it was the only way to restore the balance of the universe. Which really, was just a nice way of saying it was better to let the marked person die. 

Turning around to look at Fitz asleep on the couch, Jemma whimpered quietly. She couldn't let that happen. It would have been horrible three days ago and now, it twisted her guts and brought tears to her eyes to even think about Fitz not existing anymore. Back then, he was just a man who seemed sweet and simply too young to die. Now, she _knew_ he was a wonderful man with a kind heart and a brilliant mind whose smile made her heart beat faster every time without failing. She knew she shouldn't let it happen, that a relationship between them would be too complicated and dangerous, but how was she supposed to avoid noticing all the good things about him when she had to be by his side all the time to make sure he didn't hurt himself? How could she not notice how wonderful his scent was when she had to wait behind the bathroom door while he took his shower to make sure he didn't slip and fall? And how could she not notice the adorable sleepy smile on his face when he walked into the kitchen every morning, attracted by the smell of pancakes. And it wasn't like he was making things easier with the way he looked at her and how he looked in those ridiculously snuggly cardigans. 

Not to mention that all the animals around her had turned into matchmakers. Even the squirrels seemed to have decided Fitz was obviously her mate. It was a good thing Fitz couldn't understand their language, she barely could herself with how fast they talked, or all their questions would have been very embarrassing. But apparently, for squirrels, giving someone flowers as Fitz had done, adorably so, every time they went to the forest was a sure sign of him wanting to mate. And her accepting them was a sign she wanted that too. Relationships between animals were so ridiculous sometimes. 

And okay, in that specific case, they might not be completely wrong but it still was a little more complicated than that. And it certainly didn't help when Kira urged them to "mate already and move on to make dinner". Although the interruption was probably for the best since Jemma was trying to resist the temptation. But she didn't think she should count on that anymore. The threat of a strict diet of "disgusting liver food" would probably prevent Kira from interrupting again.

Jemma sighed and stood up, her feet carrying her to the couch of their own volition. Maybe she should have canceled the spell she put on it but after having had to save Fitz from another fallen branch, tripping and falling over her old rake and possible electrocution, she could use a little magical help to keep him inside. She had also put a similar one on his bed so he wouldn't be tempted to get up at night and get into another accident.

He was sitting sideways with his head resting on the back of the couch, looking rather peaceful and just so handsome. He might have a sore neck if he didn't wake up soon but at least, as long as he was sleeping, he was safe.

She let her head fall on the back of the couch as well, her face only inches from his. Maybe if she looked at him long enough, the solution would just come to her. She never thought she'd think that one day, but she was getting rather tired of looking at old books all day. Fitz on the other hand, she couldn't imagine a more handsome face if she wanted to, with his perfect jawline, delicate cheekbones and the elegant shape of his nose. Even closed his eyes were nice, with his long lashes slightly fluttering as he seemed to be dreaming. And it seemed to be a good one too if the small smile curling his lips up and his distractingly long fingers twitching under his cheek were any indication.

Well, this wasn't helping at all! All her brain suggested was that she should have been more patient when her grandma tried to teach her to draw because she really wanted to make a drawing of him looking so sweet right now. And also that this one stray curl needed to be rearranged as it would give her an opportunity to feel if his hair really was as soft as it looked. Rolling her eyes at herself, she reached for it delicately. It was rather innocent and maybe giving in to that one little impulse would help get her mind refocused on the one urgent problem she had. She pushed the stray curl back, brushing his forehead in the process and lingering for only a second or two to enjoy the soft springy quality of his hair. But his sleep must have been quite light because his breathing changed suddenly and Jemma gasped as her hand remained still just an inch over his face. It was ridiculous really, she'd undressed him almost completely not four days ago and didn't feel embarrassed by that but she still, somehow, couldn't move right now. And just when she thought he'd fallen back asleep, his eyes fluttered open, blinking a few times before settling on her. His lips pulled up a little wider and this time, Jemma's breath hitched for another reason entirely.

"Hi," he whispered, his other hand moving to rest on her neck. 

"Hi," she replied, her voice coming out shaky as she felt her skin cover in goosebumps at the feeling of his warm fingers. "I'm sorry, did I—"

His lips were on hers before she could finish. His kiss was as gentle and tender as she expected and yet she still shivered at the sheer intensity of the pleasure she felt the moment their lips touched. Her fingers slipped back into his hair as she pulled him closer and he moaned slightly, capturing her lower lip between his. A zing of desire, almost like electricity, coursed through her body and she deepened the kiss without a second's hesitation. Their hands moved in synchrony to pull each other closer, Fitz apparently being just as desperate as she was for more contact. His lips and tongue made her feel like never before, intense desire and something she couldn't even put a name on coursing through her. Kisses had never felt so good, not with Milton, not with anyone else and Jemma felt lightheaded, feeling the need to hold onto him tighter lest she would lose balance. But they could only get so close while sitting next to each other and Jemma soon found herself lying on her back with Fitz half on top of her. He broke the kiss then, panting as he looked down at her with a heat that went straight to her core, before reattaching his lips to her neck. She didn't even like neck kisses all that much but she moaned out loud when he reached a sensitive spot.

"Jemma, Jemma, Jemma," he whispered against her skin as he continued his exploration and her whole body trembled in pleasure at the simple sound. He was all kinds of warm and firm against her body as he tried and failed to keep his hips at a respectful distance. His hands had lost the battle though as they wandered up and down her body with sinful dexterity and she needed to feel him too. Her hand moved down from his hair to slip under his t-shirt. There was a little electric discharge as she touched him, which she wouldn't have given a thought to as it kept happening with him all the time, if it wasn't for the fact that it came from his mark. 

And then everything came pouring back. The mark, the fact that she was a witch and he wasn't, that her caring a little too much about him had resulted in catastrophe. Oh, most men she'd spent nights with were not wizards (there were rather few of her people and it wasn't like there were wizard bars where she could meet one) but it had been clear that it would only be that from the beginning. And the one time it turned to more, and the only time she had a real relationship, it had ended badly before she could even consider letting him in on her secret. And Fitz was different from Milton of course, or from anyone she ever met, but that didn't necessarily make things easier. In fact, she could already tell things would become overwhelming very quickly. If she really liked him, she had to stop, free him from the curse as soon as possible and then let him go before she hurt him again.

"Fitz, stop!" she let out, cursing herself for how breathy, raspy and unconvincing that sounded. But that was enough for him to pull back and look at her with a worried expression. 

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you or—"

"No, you didn't, it's just I-I shouldn't… do this." 

She pushed him further back and stood up with as much dignity as she could with her hair all messy and her blouse half unbuttoned. 

"Jemma, wait, can we talk about it at least? Is there something—" 

"No! I have to go, I'm sorry," she cut him off and walked out of the room, almost running towards her bedroom. 

The shaky, desperate tone of Fitz's voice broke her heart but she forced herself not to look back. If she did, she'd drown into his eyes for good and there would be no going back. Fitz needed her and even though he would never understand, she was doing it for his own good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you might have noticed, my knowledge of squirrels mating ritual comes more from Chip and Dale than The Discovery Channel but I like to believe that squirrels really do offer flowers to their lady squirrels because there just isn't any limit to their adorableness <3 
> 
> Also, sorry that ending but things will get better very soon I promise :)


	4. Chapter 4

Fitz shuffled out of his room and towards the bathroom. He didn't know what time it was, just that it was still dark out but he could already hear Jemma at work in the garden. 

God, Jemma…

Despite how incredibly comfortable his bed was, he had barely been able to sleep for an hour or two as the same thoughts turned around in his brain all night. He'd considered getting up and knocking on her door at some point, but she'd made it clear that she didn't want to talk and he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable in her own house. So he had just resolved to get up, take a shower and go down to the kitchen to have a cup of tea and apologize for kissing her. Even though she hadn't seemed to mind at all at first. 

She had even reciprocated his kiss rather enthusiastically, but it had been so incredible that, maybe, he'd lost control and went too fast. Or maybe she just went with it and wasn't in fact interested in him at all. He really hoped it was the former though because what he felt for her, it was just… It was scarily strong, especially after spending so little time together, but he couldn't imagine not having her in his life anymore. Which really didn't make any sense however wonderful she was. But that was just how it felt. It physically hurt to think of leaving this place and never coming back. And, even if she did not feel the same way at all, then he'd have to do with just being friends because it wasn't an option to be nothing at all.

* * *

There were voices coming from the kitchen when Fitz got out of the shower and he wondered who it could be. Jemma seemed to get along well with everyone in the village but it didn't seem like there was someone close enough to be at her place so early in the morning. 

"No, of course it was really, really good--"

"I told you so! But why did you spend so much time licking each other's face and didn't--"

"Cause that's not the point!" Jemma cut her off.

Fitz didn't mean to eavesdrop, he really didn't. But that stranger seemed to know a lot of details about what Fitz had to presume was last night, although the phrasing was strange, and maybe that would help him understand why Jemma had left so suddenly. Also the voice was weird and had a foreign accent that Fitz couldn't quite place that, maybe, explained the phrasing. But somehow, it also sounded familiar and Fitz was intrigued. 

"I really don't understand you humans. You want him and you made sure he couldn't leave so what's stopping you?" 

_Humans?!! Wait, what did she mean by made sure he couldn't leave..._

"I don't _just_ want him and that's not why I made him stay, Kira. If he knew what I did to him or what I am, I don't think he'd want to stay and I'd just end up heartbroken again. It's just not—"

Fitz walked into the kitchen but the words he was about to say remained stuck in his throat. It felt like his brain froze for a second and then went in complete overdrive the next. The only Kira in this room was a cat who was now looking at him with a frighteningly knowing look. He wondered for a second if Jemma was doing both voices and how possibly dangerous she was on top of being obviously insane, but he was positive the broom was moving on its own and the dishes were doing themselves for a few seconds before it all went still. 

"Hey Fitz," she said, giving him the most awkward nervous smile he'd ever seen. 

"Hey Fitz?!" he repeated louder and she winced. "What the hell, what… you were speaking with your-your—"

"Ah yes, you know how it is, when you live alone in a big house, you start speaking to your pets or even your plants and—"

"No no no no no," he cut her off. "She was speaking too, I heard it!"

"Whaaaat? No, don't be ridiculous, that was probably me, I always use that silly voice to talk to her."

She stood up, her hands in front of her in what she probably meant as a calming gesture, but Fitz instinctively took two steps back. He'd felt something strange and deliciously confusing since he first opened his eyes and saw her but now, there was something else, something that made the hair on his arms erupt in goosebumps, and not in a good way.

"No, you're lying! And-and also, those dishes were doing themselves and the broom was moving on its own, I saw it," he insisted, his voice going all high as he started panicking. "And that's not the only thing, animals act strangely around you and you do weird things all the time and I-I feel—"

"Fitz, come on, it's probably your injury acting up. Maybe you should go back to bed," she said, reaching for his arm but, this time, Fitz actually jumped back. 

"No you're lying, Jemma," he cried out, voice breaking as tears filled his eyes. "I could tell you panicked when I came in. My head's perfectly fine, why would you make me think I'm— Wait… You just said… What did you do to me? What do you want with me?"

"No, Fitz, you must have misheard me. Sit down, come have a cup of tea and we'll talk, there's no need to—"

No!"

Her voice was awfully soothing and he badly wanted to listen to her but he could see the panic in her eyes and the whole situation freaked him out. Why did she so badly want him to stay? 

"I'm out of here!" he blurted out.

Turning around and bolting out of the room, he was through the front door before she could even say a word, barely noticing the rain hitting him in the face as he marched resolutely. But he was just out of the front yard and walking towards the forest when he heard her footsteps. She was quickly catching up to him so he picked up his pace. There was a road to cross before entering the forest and maybe he could hitchhike and get away from here. He knew it was probably the safest thing to do but the mere idea of leaving, driving away from this house and from her, made his insides twist horribly.

"Fitz, please come back inside so we can talk."

"No. I don't trust you, Jemma."

"Fitz, please." The tremor in her voice made him look back but not slow down. "It's dangerous to go out like that. You don't even have a coat."

He chuckled humorlessly.

"No it's not. It's just rain, Jemma!" he cried out, turning fully towards her, half tripping over a root. For a second, he wondered how she found the time to put on a coat, hat and shoes and catch up to him so quickly but at this point, he supposed it was a detail. He could feel the tears pooling in his eyes again just by looking at her. He hated what was happening. He badly wanted for this to be a bad dream, to wake up from his nap the previous night and find her beautiful face looking at him. And he would kiss her but this time, if they parted, it would only be with a goodnight kiss and the promise for more. He didn't want fear to replace all the beautiful things he'd felt in the past few days.

"What are you doing to me?" he asked and she tried to reach for his hand again, making him step back as he felt his insides twist again. All these sensations didn't make sense to him. Like his heart and brain were completely disconnected.

"Fitz, please, don't stay so close to the—"

"And why is it so hard to leave this place? To leave you? It's like it physically hurts! And I thought that it was... exhilarating to feel like this, because I thought we-because we felt the same. But you left! And you didn't even give me an explanation and I wake up to… all of this! And now I'm freaking out and I know I have to leave and it's killing me…" 

She slowly reached for his hand and this time he let her, his heart seeming to win the battle, but there was another strong static discharge that made him jump and step back.

"And there's this too," he said as he turned back to start walking again. "It's not normal to get that many—"

"Fitz no!" 

Things happened so fast that Fitz only realized it once he was on the ground on the other side of the road with Jemma on top of him. For a moment, he thought the truck he somehow had not seen coming towards him on the road had really hit him. After all, there was no other explanation for the force that hit him and propelled him so far. But instead of feeling the pain of having at least several bones crushed or worse, he felt like he'd just tripped and fell into a soft, cushioning pile of fresh snow. He was just a little breathless but he wasn't even sure it was because of the fall. Did Jemma really do that?

"What-what just…" he trailed off, looking up into her widened eyes and suddenly, the words started spilling out of her as her hands ran all over his face like she was looking for some hidden injury.

"I'm sorry, Fitz! I'm so so sorry, I just wanted to save your life, I swear. I used too much magic but you were really bad, much worse than you think. Your heart was so weak and you were frozen and... and-and to think that you could have…if I didn't—"

"Jemma, what are you saying?"

He could feel she was being honest but that didn't make anything that she was saying any clearer. She didn't answer him and pressed her mouth to his instead, effectively making him forget everything around him for a moment. All he could feel was her warm lips moving gently and her hand cushioning his head. But just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped and the cold, wet mud he was lying on became very real again. 

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have--," she said, taking his hand and easily pulling up. "I shouldn't have kissed you like that but I do, you know. Feel the same way. I mean if what you feel is-is--"

"It is."

"Oh. Well that's... good," she said with the beginning of a smile tugging at her lips. With everything that had just happened and her saving his life again, Fitz wanted to follow his heart and take her in his arms but the cogs turning in his brain were still a little louder. There were too many things unexplained.

"Wait Jemma… when you said magic, did you mean like actual magic, like-like you're a-a-a- what are you?"

"I'm a witch, Fitz."

"A witch?"

She nodded and Fitz couldn't help the little disbelieving grimace despite everything he'd seen that day.

"Like Hermione?"

Jemma rolled her eyes but there was a small smile at the corner of her lips.

"Yeah, yeah I guess you can say that."

Mmmh. Well that explained a few things. Of course, that was complete madness but at least it was coherent. With what he saw that morning and a few others things. But that also opened up a whole lot of other questions. She saved him but also hurt him. She liked him but thought it was a mistake to kiss him and somehow, she still wanted him to stay. 

"Fitz?" 

He nodded.

"Please come back home with me, it's freezing out here. I can explain everything, I swear I didn't do anything to hurt you. I just wanted to help. Do you trust me?"

He hesitated but nodded again. His heart was screaming that he could trust her.

"Are you going to start talking again?" she asked with both amusement and worry in her voice. She reached for his hand cautiously, with the slow gestures one might use when dealing with a wild animal who could bolt any minute. 

Not that he would really, but that was a lot to take in and it was in complete contradiction with everything he ever believed in. 

"I-I'm just not sure if I'm glad I didn't imagine what I saw or worried that this is a very complex, convincing hallucination."

She smiled as she squeezed his hand then looked up into the trees. Having apparently found what she was looking for, she, not exactly whistled, but let out those strange high pitched noises and a few seconds later, a bunch of wildflowers fell into her hands. She threw them into the air, did a small gesture with her finger and they flew around him before falling back and forming a sort of crown on his head.

Above them, in the branches, a bunch of squirrels were looking at them with a lot of interest. Which Fitz found mostly adorable but a little nerve wracking somehow.

"They don't follow you only for the nuts, do they?"

Jemma laughed.

"They mostly do actually. But yeah, they're also very friendly. Excellent neighbors really, though a bit nosy if you ask me."

"Nosy?"

"I'll explain, I swear. But in the meantime, can we..." she trailed off, looking towards the house and Fitz nodded.

"Don't let go," she said, squeezing his hand a little tighter as they started walking back. 

"You know, that was really cute but a hallucination still makes way more sense."

* * *

Back home, they sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and Jemma explained everything. She told him how she found him in such a critical state, how she used too much magic to save him and how the universe was now trying to balance things out with the mark. But she decided not to scare him even more by telling him how many times she had saved his life since that second time in the forest. At least not until she'd found a way to break the curse.

"So that was why you insisted I stay?" 

"Yes," Jemma replied, hesitating before reaching for his hand over the table and giving him a shy smile. He knew about the curse and about her and he wasn't running away. And she had told him how she felt anyway so there was no use refraining from expressing her affection for him. "At first, yes. Now I have... other reasons. But I just wanted to protect you. Your very old car certainly helped a lot. Then I just had to convince you and your mum." 

"Oh that's right! You used magic on her, didn't you? Because it really is the only logical--"

"Actually, I didn't." He raised his eyebrows and she shrugged. "I'm very good with mums, very trustworthy."

"Amazing," Fitz said, shaking his head in disbelief and Jemma felt her cheeks heat up under his gaze. If he thought her talent for convincing people was so incredible, he should know what his eyes were capable of doing.

"But how come I so badly want to stay? Was that just you being convincing?"

"Ah well, I did put a charm on the couch and your bed so you wouldn't want to go too far. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to manipulate you, I just... I'm looking for a solution to free you, I swear, but it takes time and it's easier to protect you when you're close."

Fitz shook his head as he put his other hand on hers. They were warm as always and Jemma felt a shiver run up her arm.

"It's not that... I mean it's nice to know why I've been feeling so lazy lately but what I meant is that it hurts, Jemma. It physically hurts to leave the house and... to leave you. Is that the curse or something you did?"

"No! I would never do that, Fitz!"

"So my feelings, they're..."

"All yours. Magic cannot do that. Cannot create feelings."

"Oh. It's just I've never... not like that. I didn't know it could happen so fast, it's-- Wait... what about all the electricity between us?"

"Good old laws of physics most likely. It's been quite a few days of stormy weather."

"So-so that means I'm just in love with you?"

Butterflies took flight in her belly at the declaration. It did sound insanely early to use those words but she understood perfectly. Her whole being was screaming the same thing.

"I can't answer that for you Fitz but I think I know that's how I feel."

"So what now?" 

"Please stay. At least until I can find a solution."

He seemed to think about it and Jemma worried for a moment that he thought it was all too crazy after all and would decide to leave. But he finally nodded and intertwined their fingers together.

"Okay," he simply said.

She wanted to hug him or kiss him or simply be closer but she didn't know if that was what he wanted. Maybe she should let him make the first move. Or on the contrary, considering the way she had ended things the previous night, maybe he was waiting for her to do it. Looking up from their hands to his face, she remembered how dirty their clothes were. Ah well, at least that would give them something to do as their minds processed everything.

"I'm gonna get changed now, my clothes are all caked in mud. Give me yours too. I'll do a load of laundry." 

She stood up, not waiting for his answer, and Fitz followed her to the bathroom. She was full of tension and nervous energy and she needed to move.

"Can't you do a little trick?" he asked, and Jemma rolled her eyes. 

"I don't do tricks. I'm not a magician."

"But you made our clothes dry super fast."

"I just used the fire in the hearth to make water evaporate faster. You felt really hot for a moment, yeah?"

"I still do." 

There was a small grin at the corner of his lips and it certainly made her feel deliciously warm inside.

"I can't create or make anything disappear. Magic still has laws. I would need to return the mud where it came from not to make a mess here," she explained. "And the first thing you learn when you're a witch is that you should never waste your magic for things you can easily do without."

"Oh interesting. So when the dishes were doing themselves..." 

"Oh shut up. I was upset and they're not rules, more like guidelines anyway," Jemma grumbled as she grabbed the detergent, feeling her cheeks grow hot. All witches did these kinds of things once in a while. 

Fitz burst out laughing and she turned around to swat his arm and glare at him. For someone who had seemed terrified of her earlier, he was really quite bold. But he caught her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles instead. After that, it was hard not to melt into a puddle of gooey affection. 

"So you just needed another reason to make me take my clothes off, didn't you?" he said, the teasing in his voice both charming and a little annoying.

Taking a step back and her eyes not leaving his, she took her sweater off even though it was not muddy at all. She bit her lip not to smile too wide at how his adam's apple bobbed as he tried to keep his eyes on her face and not the silky camisole doing little to hide how chilly it was in the room. 

"We're almost even now. Now off with your shirt."

"I don't really think we're even, I mean you…" 

He trailed off as he finally managed to look up into her eyes and raised eyebrows. His cheeks flushed as he looked down, getting to work on his shirt, putting it in the washing machine along with his socks. Just as she was starting to wonder what to do now, keep getting undressed while he did the same or give him some privacy —they hadn't quite gotten this intimate yet after all—, he cleared his throat.

"So hum... Where's that mark anyway?"

The thought sent an icy feeling down her spine but she refused to let it put a damper on that positively tense mood. She took his hand and pulled him towards the mirror above the sink then, hesitating for only a moment, she reached for the hem of his undershirt and pulled up as he lifted his arms to help her. She wasn't prepared for the rush of heat that went through her when he looked back through the mirror. She'd seen him shirtless already. Twice. But maybe it was the dim light leaving everything in the dark except for the little halo around them or the fact that she was so close, wearing so little herself, but it felt completely different and wonderfully intimate. 

Not wanting to break the spell, the metaphorical kind, she extended her arm blindly and grabbed the smaller mirror on the cabinet behind her. She angled it so that Fitz could see the reflection of the small slightly shimmering mark between his shoulder. She wondered if it was on purpose that it had appeared somewhere he could never have noticed it by himself.

"It's kind of pretty though."

Jemma smiled at how sweet he was, trying to see the good in this.

"I'm still sorry, Fitz. I was careless and I promise I won't stop until—"

"l'm not. Sorry I mean. I'd be dead if you hadn't found me and I wouldn't have met you." 

She smiled at him through the mirror and pressed a feather light kiss over his mark. His skin was still a little cold and a little shiver ran down his spine. So putting her hands lightly on his shoulders, she did it again and again until he released a little gasp. She looked up to find him looking at her with darkened eyes and flushed cheeks. She'd found a sensitive spot. Lovely. She ran her hands down his arms, enjoying the little twitch of his muscles and goosebumps forming on his skin. 

"Jemma," he whispered, the tone of his voice breathless and adoring and it sounded so lovely when he said it like that that it made her never want to hear it any other way. 

She stepped back and pulled her camisole over her head, letting it fall to the floor before winding her arms around him. Her skin covered in goosebumps instantly from the cold but then, he leaned into her and Jemma sighed softly. Her nipples were two hard points as they grazed the smooth skin of his back and a fire was growing deep inside her.

Jemma kissed his shoulder and up again, capturing his earlobe as she looked up at him again. His eyes were mesmerizing as ever but it was hard not to notice the obvious bulge below his waist. A new zing of desire coursed through her body and she caressed down his stomach, smiling at how he tensed his muscles under her ministrations. Finally, she reached his waist and quickly unbuckled his belt before taking care of the button and zip of his jeans. He seemed hypnotized by her movements and only when her fingers grazed his erection did he react, whimpering as he pulled on her hand, turning her around until she was facing him. Avoiding his hungry lips with a little giggle, she started peppering his chest with kisses as her hands resumed their earlier mission. She easily pushed his jeans and pants down his leg before palming his perfect, round little arse. She could feel Fitz getting a little frustrated as much as he was aroused but this was all too delicious not to take her time. He looked too nice under the soft light and she wanted to enjoy all of him before the desire bubbling deep inside her boiled over and took over completely. 

"So apparently you're a witch of the wicked kind," Fitz murmured against her hair, his accent deliciously thick, as she continued to lavish his neck with kisses, completely avoiding his lips. She giggled and pulled back to look at him.

"There's no such thing as a wicked witch, there's only one sort of magic and every mmhmhph—"

He crashed his mouth to hers, cradling her face as he parted her lips to deepen the kiss immediately. Her hips thrust forward of their own volition. Okay then, maybe she was done taking her time. Before long, her skirt was unfastened and he was pushing it down along with her knickers. His hands were skillful as they ran from her thighs to her bottom, her back and every inch of skin he could reach, lighting every nerve ending on fire. Outside, the rain was pounding and even though thunder still seemed far away, Jemma could feel the electricity between them stronger than ever.

"Fitz... bed," she mumbled against his lips as she tried to make him step backwards in the right direction. Instead, she was lifted off her feet like she weighed nothing. She squeaked and giggled delightedly as she wound her legs around his hips. He had really nice shoulders and arms of course, but she didn't think he was so strong, carrying so easily to the closest bedroom.

He let her down on the bed and she pulled him on top of her, enjoying his warm weight for a moment as they kissed before rolling them over. They didn't bother getting under the sheets despite the wind blowing in the curtains. The energy they created between them as they moved and explored one another's body felt like more than enough to heat the whole house. 

"Jemma, do you—"

"We're both clean and I'm covered," she cut him off, her hips twitching against his as her body trembled with need. She would have told him how she knew if necessary but, thankfully, Fitz nodded and smiled. He trusted her and the explanation could wait a little longer. Pressing one last urgent kiss to his lips, she lifted her hips up and with a deep, contented sigh, they were finally joined.

He felt so completely right inside her that she was at the same time overwhelmed and wondering why they hadn't done this before. Why had the universe waited so long to put him on her path? As they moved, it was like electricity was coursing through her, travelling from his body to hers through their connection and every caress they covered one another's body with. It was more intense than she ever thought sex could be, like the first time she experienced elemental magic, except she had someone to share this with. Fitz's eyes never closed and never left hers and she could see that he was feeling it all as well. Pleasure grew quickly as her body undulated over his and the wave of bliss crashed over them both at the same time. It was like thunder rumbled inside her and when she let out a deep cry of pleasure, the strength of it made her magic bubble to the surface and light up the whole room. Fitz gasped at the sudden burst of energy but surprise was soon replaced by awe on his face as he looked around and saw the candles lit up all around the room. He sat up to wrap his arms around her. 

"Do you believe it's real now?" she asked, her voice still breathless and shaky.

"I really don't! That was so… you are…" He buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply. "I love you," he whispered and she felt it on her skin as much as she heard it. His hold on her was strong but his hands delicate as he caressed her hair, and she could feel his heart beating in synch with hers. The words came out of her mouth as easily as breathing. 

"I love you too."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is almost the end. There's just a short epilogue left that's already written and that I will post in the next few days :) I loved writing that story and I hope you enjoyed it as well :)  
A big thank you to @libbyweasley for her help and making my words better all through this fic :)

"So... do you have a special school or something?"

Jemma mumbled something he didn't get against his chest and Fitz chuckled. After the spectacular sex, they'd fallen asleep half on top of each other and Fitz had been feeling like he was still burning up from the inside with desire and love. But after a while, they still had to pull the covers over themselves and had been cuddling in comfortable, sleepy silence since. Had she put a spell on her own bed as well for him to feel so happy, safe and contented like never before in his life? 

"To learn magic?" he added. "Is there a special place you go to or..."

She grumbled lightly and wiggled until she could look down at him. 

"Have you ever taken the Jacobite train at Fort William?" she asked and Fitz's eyes widened. 

"No... but I've always wanted to." 

"Well, when you take it, there's a secret stop, right after the viaduct, that only witches know about. That's where the school is." 

"Really?!" Oh this was getting even more interesting. "Do you know that's the train they used in the Harry Potter movies?" 

"Of course, I do. Who do you think gave them the idea?"

"You mean..."

"Yeah, hide in plain sight and all that..." 

"Wow... Really?" 

"No," she replied, bursting out laughing as she buried her face in his neck, her entire body shaking with it.

"Ugh! You're the worst!" he grumbled before taking his arm from under her and pushing her away. But not too far. It made her laugh even more and it was really hard to stay mad at someone with such an infectious laugh. She mock-pouted and headbutted him until she could crawl under his arm. She was half on top of him again and he only made a very weak effort to resist before wrapping his arms around her once more. 

"I went to school in Sheffield," she said as she looked up at him with a soft smile. "When my abilities started to show, I got a lot of extra books to study at night and spent most of my holidays at my grandma's house. Kind of like a summer school if you like. My mum never cared all that much about magic, barely ever used it so I had to learn to work on my own the rest of the year. And then I went to Oxford and got my PhDs all while trying to finally master the control of all the elements."

She was even more impressive than he thought. Getting all her degrees so young while studying to be a witch on her own.

"But you're a scientist and a healer. Wasn't it complicated to learn about medicine when you knew what magic could do?"

"Not really, no," she replied wistfully. "There are rules, you know. It's not all silly incantations in Latin and hidden castles in Scotland," she said with a smirk and he rolled his eyes. "The first law of thermodynamics still applies. Nothing is created and..."

"Nothing is destroyed." 

"Yes." She gave him a big smile. "Just think of it as science that is too advanced for most humans to practice."

"So, like most sciences to a certain degree, yeah?" She nodded. "Alright... I like that." 

Fitz still felt a bit like he was in a dream. In part because of all the witch-related things but mostly because he couldn't quite believe or understand how much he loved her and by what miracle she loved him back after having spent so little time together. He took a deep breath and the flowery scent of her hair invaded his nostrils. He pulled her closer and sighed deeply as the sweet scent enveloped him completely. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. 

"This is very nice."

She hummed approvingly and moved back down to kiss his chest. 

"You're a much better source of heat than Kira," she said dreamily and he chuckled. "Maybe not quite as soft," she added, caressing what little hair he had on his chest. "But just the right amount of firm and cuddly. Not to mention the release of endorphins was lovely. That should keep me energized for days." 

Fitz grinned and let his hand run down her back under the sheets, stopping on her bum, delighted at how round and full it felt under his palm. 

"Well, just so you know, if you run out, I'll probably be available to give you more _energy_." 

"I'll keep it in mind," she said, her voice sounding a little raspier as she lightly pushed back against his hand. 

"So... is it always like _that_ for you?" he asked. "You know... with the candles and the... Cause it's never been for me. Even without the candles I mean and–" 

"Only when it's really, really, really good. Never happened to me before, not with someone else, at least." 

If it was possible, Fitz's smile grew even wider. He had rarely felt so proud of anything, not even when he had graduated from MIT. He didn't want to sound corny but it felt like more than just fantastic sex. It made him feel closer to her than he ever had to anyone in his entire life. In fact, he was about to offer to repeat the experience, see if it had only been the result of their emotions running high, which he doubted, when the door creaked open and he was interrupted by a loud meow. 

"What is it?" Jemma asked, looking up towards the door. Kira meowed a little louder and climbed up on Jemma's desk, giving them a look that made him feel quite uncomfortable. She meowed again. 

"Oh, just shut up!" Jemma let out with a big sigh. 

"Uh Jemma? Are you talking with the cat?"

"Yes."

"So when all I hear is meow, you hear words?" That, he was really jealous of. As early as he could remember, being able to talk to animals had always been one of the three wishes he would make if he found a magic lamp. Along with a nice house for his mum and the ability to eat as many sweets as he wanted without being sick. Maybe it was time to find a new one to replace the latter because– Wait. He did hear Kira speak words earlier.

"How come I could hear her earlier?" He gasped. "Does that mean I'm a wi...zard too?" 

Jemma laughed softly before pulling back slightly. 

"Sorry," she said, pressing a kiss to his lips. "I would know and so would you. No I hear the same, just better and with all the variations. It's like hearing a language you don't know at all. It all sounds the same to you at first until you get better at it and you can hear all the subtleties. But Kira speaks English. A few other species close to humans learn our languages. That's what you heard earlier."

"Oh. So why isn't she speaking English now?" 

"I don't know. Maybe she doesn't want to creep you out, or she just wants you to see her as a cute little kitty. She has a crush on you," Jemma replied and Kira did something that sounded a lot like a huff before she started licking her paw. If she could, Fitz thought she would have blushed. 

"Really?" Fitz asked, not knowing if he should feel disturbed or flattered. 

"She told me to sleep with you the moment I brought you home."

He burst out laughing. Flattered it was.

"Really? Smart kitty!"

"Something about your scent," Jemma said, trying to sound casual despite her cheeks turning a little pink. Fitz raised his eyebrows. "You do smell awfully nice."

"Do I?" 

She grinned and moved to nuzzle his neck and press an open mouth kiss there. Fitz groaned and his hold on her bum tightened. His other hand slid into her hair as he gently pulled her head down to capture her mouth in a deep, passionate kiss. She giggled against his lips and hooked one leg around his hip, the sheets sliding down as she used her hold on him to pull him on top of her. They quickly got lost in it, his body reacting to her wandering hands and delightful curves pressed against him. The chill of the room hit the skin of his butt and he didn't mind in the slightest... until he remembered Kira was still in the room.

"Wait," Fitz whispered against her lips, feeling breathless already. "I feel weird doing this while she's here," he added, nodding towards Kira still grooming herself on Jemma's desk.

"Oh don't worry. Cats don't care about those things," she said before capturing his lips again but Fitz broke the kiss before he lost focus again.

"But I do," he said, smiling apologetically. 

Jemma groaned in frustration before shouting Kira's name. The cat meowed loudly before jumping down from the desk and very slowly making her way towards the door. Jemma sighed and rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't happening anyway!" she cried out once the cat was finally out the door. Fitz raised his eyebrows, his curiosity winning against his lust for just a moment longer. 

"She's being smug and unreasonable. Like she needed more reasons for that."

What–"

"You don't want to know," she said, sliding her hands down to grab his bum, smiling widely as his hips twitched in response. "Kiss me now." 

"Mmhhmm"

* * *

A kiss was pressed to the back of her neck and the corners of Jemma's lips pulled up instantly. The frown on her face slowly disappeared as more kisses followed down the side. Sighing, she sat back and let her head fall against his, reaching for his hand. He got the message and wrapped his arms around her completely. She'd missed this. He'd been working in the room right across from this one for only a few hours and she'd still missed him. 

"Hi," he whispered in her ear as he sank to his knees behind her chair. 

"Hi," she replied, feeling all the tension leave her body as she soaked in some of his body heat. 

"You should take a break," he said and she groaned weakly.

She was spending almost all her time looking for a way to reverse the curse –her usual activities having been put on the back burner– but she was still no closer to finding a solution than she'd been at the start of the week. Of course, it didn't help that she had started dreading the moment she would, freeing Fitz from it and possibly... from her. 

At first, she'd thought he was being romantic but in the past three days, she had started feeling the pain Fitz had mentioned. This sort of ache in her chest, like a muscle stretched too much whenever he was away from her. And it disappeared the moment he touched her, making her long for contact all the time. So she had started wondering if there wasn't something magical about it after all. If maybe his attraction and feelings for her weren't caused by the mark despite what she'd always been told and what she’d told him. But what choice did she have? She couldn't keep him prisoner from the curse indefinitely and fear for his life every minute of every day. So she kept working.

"No, I need to find a solution, Fitz. It's been a week." 

"And an hour won't make a difference," he insisted and she turned around to look at him. "Come on, Jemma. I love you for trying so hard but you need to rest or get some fresh air at least." 

She chuckled. She had to admit she hadn't slept all that much these past few days but the curse was responsible for only half of it. His distracting body and soft, raspy voice had also been keeping her busy at night. 

"Do I look so horrible?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"You look as enchanting as always," he replied without hesitation and her heart fluttered in her chest. Maybe _he_ had enchanted her with his sweet words and wicked lips. He cradled her cheek and gently swiped her cheek with his thumb. She leaned into him. "But come on, a little fresh air will do you good. I always have my best ideas when I'm not actually working on the problem."

"Fitz, it doesn't work like that. It's not something I can solve with maths. The answer has to be in these books or–"

"I know but you told me yourself that the books all say the same things about restoring balance, so unless you want to look at this the Jedi way, you should take a break. Maybe there's a hidden meaning to some of these words that you'll understand if you stop obsessing about them."

She sighed but she had to admit his words made sense. Plus, it was hard to say no when he was asking for it with kisses and cuddles. And she rather liked the idea of a nice walk in the forest with her... well, they hadn't discussed terminology but he was her boyfriend, wasn't he? 

"Alright," she said, closing her book before stretching her arms over her head. "Just a little break then."

* * *

"Fitz," Jemma moaned, her voice sounding incredibly loud in the otherwise very quiet forest. She tightened her leg around his hip as her head fell against the tree trunk. She knew that, chemically speaking, sex did create a bond between people that made them want more, but it had never been like that before. It was like she wanted him all the time and like he could never be close enough. It felt like his body writhing against hers, his lips worshipping her skin and his hands exploring her body was how they were always supposed to be. 

Fitz changed the angle just so and pleasure exploded from her center towards every tiny nerve in her body. She whimpered and pulled his head back up to hers to smash their mouths together. His body went still for a second and she swallowed his cries of ecstasy as pleasure still coursed through her. His hips stuttered for a moment longer as his hands slid back down to her bum to hold her in place. Finally, he broke the kiss and let his forehead fall against hers. 

When she finally opened her eyes, he had a smile that was both adoring and a little smug and she couldn't help laughing. No, he truly was the sweetest, most adorable man she'd ever met. It wasn't just magic or chemistry. It was a little crazy and so unexpected but she was very much in love with him. 

"If that was what you had in mind when you insisted I take a break, my comfy, warm and horizontal bed would have been just fine, you know," she said, voice still all breathy with pleasure, and his smile only turned more smug. 

"I didn't! But you can't talk to me about your gift and how being closer to nature makes it more powerful and not expect my mind to go there, especially after how our first time was."

"Is there anything I could say that wouldn't make your mind go there?" 

Fitz pretended to think about her question before shaking his head and she chuckled before kissing the tip of his nose. Adorable. 

"And I mean, you sounded like it was quite... powerful," he added, his smile extra smug. 

She had to admit that being so close to the elements, the earth under their feet, the wind in the trees, the dew still covering the grass and well, the metaphoric fire inside them, made her feel incredible. Being with Fitz was always fantastic but with the forest around, it was like her powers were buzzing inside her, impatient to be released. Maybe that was just what she needed to finally find the solution.

"It was... but that's mostly because I'm kinky and I love you taking me against a tree when all the squirrels might see us!" 

"Jemma!" he cried out in mild outrage and she grinned. His eyes still went a little dark at her words but even with as much stamina as Fitz usually had, it was a little too soon to do more about it now. 

"Let me down?" 

He nodded and, moving away from her, he gently lowered her until her feet touched the ground again. Taking her underwear from his pocket, she quickly put it back on while he turned around to pull his trousers and pants back on. Jemma smiled. That was a lot of prudishness for someone who had just pushed her against a tree and made wild love to her in the middle of the forest.

"Can we head home now? I need a shower," she said, wincing as she tried to thread her fingers through her hair. "And a hairbrush."

"Of course," he replied, pulling her close to press a kiss to the top of her head and gently caress her hair. "Sorry about that."

"It was worth it."

She took his hand and they started walking. It was just as well really. A cold wind had started blowing again and with the dark clouds gathering, it looked and felt like a storm was brewing.

"So... what other animal languages do you speak?" Fitz asked after a while. He had a lot of those questions and sometimes it felt like quite a lot but it was understandable. And it was so reassuring that he found it so fascinating and never scary. Things would really be close to perfection if it wasn't for the curse. And the fact that he lived on the other side of the ocean.

"Well, squirrels for instance. That's the first language I learned in Sheffield, but honestly I can barely understand what they're saying most of the time."

"Really, why?" 

"They're adorable creatures really, awfully polite, but they always speak like... like they've had ten cups of coffee."

Fitz laughed.

"Amazing! And do you think I could learn one of those languages or is that a witch thing?"

"Ah no, I suppose it'd be possible, I mean I never met a non-witch who asked about it, but then again I never told a non-witch about all these things so…"

"Oh…" 

Fitz stopped walking, turning around to face her, surprise and something else in his expression. Something soft.

"So I'm the first man, non-witch man I mean, you ever told the truth about you?" 

"Uh yeah," she replied, suddenly feeling a little shy as Fitz obviously understood how big it was for her when she hadn't even realized it as she was saying it. "To be fair, I didn't really have a choice once you saw me," she added with an awkward little chuckle, trying to act casual.

"Oh Jemma," he said. "I swear you won't regret it! I'm very honored that you—"

There was a loud noise higher in the trees and something twisted inside her. Everything was always so passionate and romantic with Fitz that she almost forgot that he was also in constant mortal danger. 

"We should hurry home, I don't like those noises."

"Okay," he said and took her hand before starting walking again at a much faster pace. She was truly grateful that he didn't try to play down her worries and trusted her to keep him safe.

The wind was getting stronger with every passing second, shaking the remaining autumn leaves from the trees and making her hair fly in front of her face. Which was why she didn't have the time to magically stop the heavy branch that broke and fell towards them. So she just threw herself at Fitz. There was a searing pain to the side of her head and then nothing.

* * *

Jemma gasped as energy flooded her. It was an incredible feeling, like waking up from a good night's sleep but a hundred times stronger. Or like an orgasm that started from everywhere inside her at the same time. Her eyes opened to see Fitz looking at her with both terror and relief in his eyes, his hand still cradling her face. 

"Fitz, what… how— Ow!" 

Electricity crackled where he touched her face and Fitz was suddenly pushed backwards a few feet. Like magic, one would say, except she knew she hadn't done it. So what could have possibly caused this?

"Ow!" Fitz cried out, reaching behind him to rub his back.

"What is it?" 

She sat up and her head immediately started spinning, so she moved on her hands and knees to get to Fitz, not caring that she was probably ruining her skirt with all the mud and twigs on the ground. 

"I don't know! It's my back, it stings, it's like—"

"Take your jacket off, let me see," she cut him off, hoping her instinct was correct. He didn't argue and let her pull his jacket off his shoulders before pulling at the collar of his sweater.

"It's gone," she let out in a whisper, not knowing how to feel about it just yet. Fitz looked at her with wide, slightly confused eyes. "The mark. It's gone," she insisted. 

"But how-how did that—"

"Fitz, what happened while I was unconscious?"

"I-I don't know. Everything happened so fast. You were bleeding and you weren't waking up. I think-I think you were still breathing though. I was trying to wake you up and I was panicking and then… I had this weird sensation, like I had just run a marathon or something, I was exhausted. And then you woke up."

God, how could she be so stupid? She had the solution in front of her the whole time. And she had gotten so many signs too. She just never imagined that a non-witch could use what she'd given him the way he had. She burst out laughing, overwhelmed by relief and happiness and just feeling so ridiculous that it took another accident for her to understand the meaning of those not so cryptic words after all. Fitz looked at her with a worried expression, tentatively extending a hand to cradle her cheek once more. 

"Jemma, are you-are you alright? How's your head?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Fitz. I just understood how we broke the curse!"

"We did?" he asked with a little grimace of disbelief.

"Yes!" she almost cried out. She had so much energy she wanted to run or dance or take Fitz home with her and make love to him all day. "When I healed you, I accidentally created a link between us and through this link, I sent a little bit of my magic. And that's what created the curse. Because only witches can have magic. And I kept reading about how the universe needed balance. And I thought the only way was for the universe to try and kill you to get rid of what little magic was in you. Which made sense because, without magic, you wouldn't have survived anyway. But there's more than one way to balance things out. I just hadn't realized that the link remained active between us."

The frown of confusion on Fitz's face slowly turned to one of realization. Oh, he was so smart, her Fitz. 

"You were right, there was something magical about the way we kept feeling electricity between us. Every time we touched or kissed, I was transferring a little bit of my magic to you until you had enough to use it. I think you might even have used it a little bit before. The way you carried me the other day, it was..."

"But-but… How could I use magic without knowing I could?"

"That's how it usually happens when a witch's capabilities start showing as a kid. If you want something really hard, it just happens."

"Wow… So does this mean that I-that I have magic now?"

Jemma laughed as she shook her head. 

"I’m sorry. I don’t think so. If I’m correct, you used it all to wake me up. You restored the balance of the universe by giving me back my magic." 

It was hard to believe that no other witch had tried to heal someone they loved enough for something like that to happen. As much as she wanted their love to be exceptional —not that it wasn't— a more likely explanation was that those stories were never recorded because it was thought to be too dangerous. If people knew non-witches could somehow get access to a little magic through the link, surely someone would try to experiment and it could end very badly.

"So I was right about the electricity?" he asked, grinning, and she rolled her eyes. He had insisted he was right about that more than once and she had a feeling she would never hear the end of it.

If he stayed.

Something twisted inside her. If he was right about the electricity, he was probably right about the reason it hurt so much to be away from each other. His feelings might not be as strong as she thought they were. Maybe the link between them just intensified the simple attraction that she, at least, hoped was there from the beginning. But he was starting a new career in the US, he wasn't going to give it all up for her. And she couldn't leave this place either.

"Jemma?" he asked, worry in his voice as he had obviously noticed her mood shifting.

"You were right," she said. "And you were also right about the way it hurt to leave being magical. But it's gone now. You don't have to stay here anymore. You're safe."

"That's good. Good to know," he said and the twisting inside her intensified before he gently reached for her face and tilted her chin up to make her look at him. "But I don't want to leave. It's a good thing that it won't hurt if I have to, more practical really, but what I feel for you is real, Jemma. I still don't understand how that's possible but I love you more than anything."

Tears were pooling in her eyes as she looked up at him. 

"Really?"

He smiled and slid his hand into her hair to pull her face closer, their lips meeting in the middle. The kiss was tender at first but slowly gained in intensity as his other arm wound around her waist to pull her half onto his lap. It was like every part of her fit with every part of him and she would never have enough of it, of him. Even now that the link was broken, she still felt just as strongly about him. She was breathless when they pulled apart and he was looking at her with a slightly smug smile when she opened her eyes. 

"See? No magic but it still feels pretty good, don't you think?" 

She giggled. Pretty good was rather an understatement. And he really had a wonderful way of making his point. After a minute though, her mind turned back to less agreeable ideas. 

"But you live in the U.S. and you know I can't leave this place. Not indefinitely at least."

"How about long distance? I know it's not ideal but what we have is too—"

"Special. Yeah. I don't want to give up on you." 

"Me neither. And after all, we're both geniuses, we can make it work."

Jemma nodded, her smile threatening to split her face in two. She didn't remember ever feeling so happy to hear words come out of someone's mouth. 

"I mean, if you miss me too much, you can always hop on your little broom and fly to New York and—"

"Ugh, Fitz!" she cried out and his smile only widened. 

"What?! You didn't even tell me if you could fly. I mean what's the point of being a witch if—"

She cut him off with a kiss, swallowing whatever he was about to say. Sometimes, it was even better when he didn't talk.


	6. Chapter 6

Long distance didn't work out. Fitz should have known, of course. He hadn't had a lot of experience with relationships before Jemma and none at all with love, but he'd always been an all-or-nothing kind of guy. His new business was thriving but that meant a lot of extra work and not enough time to go to Scotland as much as he wanted. And with Jemma's many duties to her little village and her strong bond to Scotland, and her cottage specifically, she couldn't really leave for long periods of time. So the inevitable happened. One day, Fitz called her, told her they had to talk about their relationship and a decision had to be made.

Fitz opened the window to bring a little fresh air inside and sighed as he took a gulp of his tea. He smiled. It was going to be another rainy day. There was a loud cawing coming from above and the black bird landed on the windowsill a few seconds later. 

"Good morning Edgar." 

"Caw!" 

"Oh sorry, I still have trouble—"

"That's not Edgar, that's Allan," Jemma said as she came to hug him from behind.

"I know," Fitz said smugly as he put his cup on the windowsill to pull her closer. "He just told me."

"Oh, you're getting better."

"I think I'm finally getting the hang of it and it's still easier than learning Norwegian, I guess."

"Why would you learn Norwegian?" she asked. 

"Why not?" 

She hummed and hugged him tighter. He knew if anyone could understand his thirst for any kind of knowledge, it was Jemma.

"I just have trouble differentiating them all, they look so much alike." 

"That's racist," she said and giggled as he turned around to roll his eyes at her.

"Caw!" Edgar said, doing that weird head movement that seemed to mean he was doing the closest thing to laughing a crow could do.

"Jemma, I—"

"I'm kidding," Jemma cut him off as she reattached her arms around his waist. "Thankfully, the notion doesn't exist amongst animals. See, Allan is a little bit bigger and he has a wonky, little feather on his head. But you might want to look at their eyes to make sure. His are a little softer than Edgar's for instance." 

"Right…" Fitz said, turning around and grimacing as he took a good look at Allan.

The wonky feather he could see but there was no difference between their eyes to him. He wasn't going to say it though. He didn't want to upset his feathery friend even more.

"Don't worry about it, you're a fast learner."

"And when I'm done with crow language, maybe you can teach me some of your magic tricks."

"Fitz, I told you, those are not tricks and you cannot—"

His lips were on hers before she could finish her sentence. He'd moved into her cottage two weeks ago after three long months of not seeing her as he worked hard on getting everything ready to relocate his company to Scotland. Their reunion had been rather heated and absolutely perfect but even now he still couldn't get enough of her. Which, if necessary, was all the proof she ever needed that his love and attraction had never been magic. She seemed to feel the same considering the way she completely melted into the kiss. She was so focused on his lips that it even allowed him to discreetly reach into his trousers' pockets to get the little remote. 

"Anyway," he said, panting as they broke the kiss. "I have my own magic."

She grinned wickedly.

"Oh, you're a really good kisser but I don't know if it qualifies as magic—"

Jemma looked up towards the light buzzing sound and grinned as she saw his little drone hovering over them. He'd just managed to finish putting it together and had tested it for the first time the previous night. Jet lag still messing up his sleep regimen once in a while had its upside he supposed. Fitz clicked a button on the remote and the drone flew down to lightly deposit the flower crown it held on top of her hair. Allan let out an angry caw and flew away. 

"I think he's a little jealous," Jemma said with a smile before pressing a resounding kiss to Fitz's lips. "I love it. It's adorable," she said as she reached for the small drone. "So you're all settled in your workshop?" 

He nodded, feeling immensely proud of the way Jemma turned it around, looking at it from all angles. She'd been really interested in it when he first told her about it and had actually suggested several very useful modifications. Remembering the crown on her head, she looked sideways to look at herself in the mirror. 

"The crown is gorgeous too. Did you make it too?" she asked, the little smile at the corner of her lips telling him she knew very well that he hadn't.

"No. Apparently, we were quite… enthusiastic yesterday and the squirrels left another one by the window this morning." 

They'd been doing this every morning since Fitz moved in. It took some getting used to but he had to admit it was quite adorable. Plus, today was a special day.

"Do you know today is the one-year anniversary of the day you saved my life?" 

"The best year of my life," Jemma replied as she tightened her hold on him even more. "We should celebrate tonight, I'll wear the crown."

She had on that wicked, secretive smile that gave Fitz hope she wouldn't be wearing much else.

As much as he liked the idea, he'd been thinking of another way to celebrate and another kind of gift to give her on that occasion. The kind that would fit better around her finger rather than on top of her head. He still hadn't found the perfect one though so it would have to wait a little longer. But that was perfectly fine. They had saved each other a year ago so now, they had a lifetime ahead of them to be together.


End file.
